Renting in Dublin: what Brits need to know before handing over a deposit

Renting in Dublin costs about what it does in London, and you'll be competing with a queue of other people for every decent flat.

The short version

• A two-bed flat in Dublin averaged about EUR 2,536 (about £2,113) a month in early 2026, and market rents were up 6.9% on a year earlier [1].
• Supply is tiny: fewer than 1,150 homes were listed to rent across Dublin on 1 August 2026, down 18% on a year before [2].
• A landlord can't ask for a deposit of more than one month's rent [3].
• From 1 March 2026, rent rises within a tenancy are capped at 2% a year or inflation, whichever is lower, with a reset to market rent only in set cases [4].
• Never pay anything for a flat you haven't seen with a landlord or agent you've checked out.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002), rounded.

What does it cost?

The best regular snapshot comes from the property site Daft.ie's quarterly rental report, written by the Trinity College economist Ronan Lyons. These are asking rents in the first quarter of 2026, by area [1]:

Source: Daft.ie Rental Price Report, Q1 2026 [1].

For comparison, the ONS put the average London rent at £2,338 a month and the UK average at £1,406 in September 2026 [5]. A two-bed in south Dublin, then, costs about the same as the average London let, and well above the UK average. Rents kept rising through the spring: Daft's next report put Dublin market rents 6.5% higher in June than a year before [2]. Our cost of living guide puts rent alongside everything else.

Where Brits live

There's no "little Britain" in Dublin. Brits spread out much like everyone else, mostly according to where the job is and what the budget allows.

• Ranelagh, Rathmines and Portobello (Dublin 6 and 8): red-brick terraces, cafés and pubs, a short walk or Luas ride from town. Popular, so expect a scrum at viewings.
• Ballsbridge, Sandymount and Ringsend (Dublin 4): close to the tech and finance offices around the docks, the British Embassy and the Aviva Stadium. Among the dearest postcodes.
• Stoneybatter, Phibsborough and Drumcondra (Dublin 7 and 9): north of the Liffey, a bit cheaper and full of character.
• Clontarf, Howth and Malahide: the north coast, with the DART into town and the airport handy for trips home.
• Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock and Dalkey: south county by the sea, on the DART line, and popular with families. Dún Laoghaire's old ferry pier is a reminder of how close Holyhead really is.

A tip: Dublin's postal districts run odd numbers north of the Liffey and even numbers south, so Dublin 4 and Dublin 6 are on the south side. Eircodes, the newer seven-character postcodes, are what you give your bank and Revenue.

Finding a place

Most rentals are listed on Daft.ie, with others on agents' sites, MyHome.ie and in word-of-mouth groups. What works:

1. Be ready before you look. Have a reference from a previous landlord, an employer letter or contract, recent payslips or bank statements, and photo ID in one tidy file. Landlords pick from dozens of applicants and go with the easiest one.
2. Reply fast and politely. Good flats can get hundreds of messages within a day.
3. View in person, or send someone. If you're still in the UK, a friend or colleague viewing for you beats any number of photos.
4. Ask who the landlord is. You're entitled to the landlord's contact details, even if an agent manages the place [3].
5. Check it's registered. Landlords must register every tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), and do it annually [6].

Plenty of newcomers start in a short-term let or a room in a house share while they look. It's dearer per month, but it gives you a Dublin address for your PPS number and bank account, and lets you view properly.

Deposits, contracts and your rights

Ireland's rental law is the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, which has been amended many times, and the RTB is the body that runs it. The basics:

The deposit

• Maximum: one month's rent [3].
• It must be returned "as soon as possible" after you leave, though the landlord can inspect first [3].
• The landlord can keep some or all of it only for rent arrears, unpaid bills you were responsible for, damage beyond normal wear and tear, or not giving proper notice [3].
• There's no deposit protection scheme like the ones in England. If you can't agree, the RTB's dispute resolution service decides, so take dated photos when you move in.

Rent rises (from 1 March 2026)

Under the new rules, rent can only be increased once every 12 months, by 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower [4]. Newly built flats where construction started after 10 June 2025 follow inflation with no 2% cap. A landlord must send a rent review notice to the RTB within 7 days or it isn't valid [4].

At the start of a new tenancy, the landlord can set a market rent if the last tenant left by choice, if it's the first letting, or if it has been empty for two years. If the last tenancy ended on a "no-fault" ground (sale, the landlord's family moving in or a change of use) within two years, they can't [4]. For tenancies starting from 1 March 2026, the landlord can also reset to market rent once every six years [4]. The RTB has a rent calculator on its site to check a rise.

How long you can stay

After six months without a valid notice of termination, you get security of tenure [7].

Source: RTB [7]. Any notice of termination has to be served properly and copied to the RTB [7]. If you're on a fixed-term lease, tell the landlord you want to stay between three months and one month before it ends [7].

This is a big change from an assured shorthold tenancy back home, where a landlord can often end things far more easily. It's one of the few areas where Irish renters have the edge.

Scams to watch for

Dublin's shortage makes it a playground for rental fraud, and newcomers are easy targets.

• "I'm abroad, send the deposit and I'll post the keys." The classic. Never pay for a place you haven't seen inside with the person who can actually let it.
• Too cheap to be true. A Ranelagh one-bed at half the going rate isn't a lucky find.
• Pressure to pay today by bank transfer, crypto or a money app, before any lease is signed.
• Copied listings. Scammers lift photos from real ads. A reverse image search takes a minute.
• Fake documents. Check the landlord's name against the RTB register where you can, and pay to an Irish bank account in the landlord's or agent's name, not a stranger's.

If you're caught out, report it to An Garda Síochána (the Irish police) and to your bank straight away. Then put the kettle on and start again: it happens to more people than you'd think.

For tips on which areas suit families, flatmates or commuters, our community group for Brits in Ireland is the place to ask.

Sources

1. Daft.ie Rental Price Report, Q1 2026 (PDF, via RTÉ)
2. Laois Nationalist: Daft.ie report for the second quarter of 2026 (24 August 2026)
3. Residential Tenancies Board: Security deposits
4. Residential Tenancies Board: Setting and reviewing private rents
5. ONS: Private rent and house prices, UK: October 2026 (21 October 2026)
6. Residential Tenancies Board: home page and tenancy registration
7. Residential Tenancies Board: Tenant's right to stay in a rented property from 1 March 2026

Keep reading

• Cost of living in Dublin vs London and the UK average
• Buying a home in Dublin: Help to Buy, stamp duty and mortgage limits
• Moving to Dublin as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Moving pets and belongings from the UK